Transcript Chapter 7 Islam and Byzantium

7
Islam and Byzantium
©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.
The Middle East in the Time of
Muhammad
The Rise of Islam





Arabs were a Semitic-speaking people
Bedouins – nomadic peoples from the northern part of the
peninsula
Organized into tribes and ruled by a Sheikh
 Majlis -- council of elders who selected the Sheikh
Were polytheistic; supreme god known as Allah
No priesthood; Allah symbolized by a sacred stone
 All worshiped a massive black meteorite enshrined in
the Ka’aba in Mecca
The Role of Muhammad (570-632)

Born to a merchant family but orphaned at age six



Disturbed about the gap between the Bedouin values and
the culture of the affluent commercial elites



Grew up to be a caravan manager
Married his employer, Khadija
During meditation experiences visions and heard a voice
The angel Gabriel commanded Muhammad to preach the
revelations that he would be given
Hegira (Hijrah), 622, Muhammad’s flight from Mecca to
Yathrib (Medina)
• Forms the first Muslim community (the Umma)

Returns to Mecca with an army and conquers it
• Visit to the Ka’aba, 630
• Declared it a sacred shrine and ordered the destruction of the
idols of the traditional faith
Teachings of Muhammad






Monotheistic; offers afterlife
Koran (recitation)
Five Pillars of Faith
 Belief in Allah and Muhammad as his Prophet
 Prayer five times a day and public prayer on Friday at
noon
 Observance of Ramadan, fasting from dawn to sunset
 Pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj)
 Giving alms to the poor (zakat)
Not just a set of beliefs, but a way of life
Ulama (Muslim scholars)
 Shari’ah (law code)
 Hadith (collection of saying from the Prophet)
Strict behavioral requirements
The Arab Empire and Its
Successors


Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s father-in-law succeeds
Muhammad
Creation of an Empire
 After Arabs united, jihad directed at neighboring
peoples
 Possible explanations for rapid expansion
• Prolonged drought on the Arabian peninsula
• Desire of Islam’s leaders to channel the energies of their new
converts
• Planned by the ruling elites of Mecca to extend their trade
routes and bring surplus-producing regions under their control
• Administration was generally tolerant
©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning ™ is a trademark used herein under license.
The Expansion of Islam
Succession Problems and the
Rise of The Umayyads (661-750)








Challenge to Abu Bakr’s selection as first caliph
Umar succeeded Abu Bakr
Uthman succeeded Umar in 656, but was assassinated
Muhammad Ali (656-661), assassinated in 661
Mu’awiyah became caliph in 661
 Made his own family, the Umayyads, hereditary rulers
Beginning of the eighth century new attacks launched by Arab armies
 Tariq, 710, crossed into Spain
 Battle of Tours, 732
Constantinople attacked and Muslim fleet defeated, 717
Succession Problems
 Shi’ites and Sunnis
 Revolt led by Abu al-Abbas in 750 leads to overthrow of Umayyads and
establishment of Abbasid dynasty
©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.
The Abbasid Caliphate at the
Height of Its Power
The Abbasids (750-1258)






Opened all offices to all Muslims (whether Arab or nonArab)
Capital at Baghdad
Reign of Harun al-Rashid (786-809) often called the
golden age
Ma’mun (813-833), son of Harun al-Rashid
 Patron of learning
 Trade Caliphs took on more regal rule and life
 Advised by a council, diwan, with a vizier as prime
minister
Civil war between Amin and al-Ma’mum after Harun’s
death
Disintegration
Seljuk Turks
 Nomadic
people from central Asia
 Capture Baghdad (1055); leader took the title of
sultan, “ holder of power”
 Battle of Manzikert, 1071, Turks took over most
of Anatolia
©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.
Turkish Occupation of Anatolia
The Crusades
 Byzantine
emperor Alexius I, 1096, asked for help
against the Turks; used the Holy Land as the
excuse
 Saladin (1174-1193) controlled Egypt and Syria
 Invaded Jerusalem in 1187 and destroyed the
Christian forces
 The last Christian stronghold, Acre, fell in 1291
The Mongols



Pastoral people out of the Gobi Desert to seize Persia and
Mesopotamia
Found it difficult to adjust to settled conditions of the
Middle East
When they conquered cities, they:







Wiped out whole populations (even pets)
Razed cities
Destroyed agricultural works (irrigation dams, etc)
Destroyed the economy
Elites converted to Islam
By 14th century began to split into separate kingdoms and
then disintegrate
The Ottoman Turks now emerged on the Anatolian
Peninsula
Islamic Civilization
 The
Wealth of Araby: Trade and Cities in the
Middle East
 Trade flourished during this period
 Development of banking, currency, and letters
of credit
 Urbanization
• Several centers flourished throughout this period
• Exquisite palaces built for the caliph and great
mosques
• Eating habits varied according to economic class
Islamic Society


All equal in the eyes of Allah
Upper class




Senior officials, tribal elites, wealthiest merchants
Farmland eventually in the hands of the wealthy
Slavery: came from non-Muslim peoples
Women







To be treated with respect
Had right to own and inherit property
Polygamy permitted
Right of divorce restricted to the husband
Adultery and homosexuality strictly forbidden
Women were cloistered in their homes nor permitted social
contacts with males outside their own family
Covering all parts of the body common in urban areas
Culture of Islam

Philosophy and science







The Arab Empire was responsible for preserving the spreading
ideas and achievements of ancient civilizations
Ibn Rushd (Averroës) helped reintroduce Europe to Greek works
Manufacturing of paper begin in the eighth century
Adopted numerical system from India; Iranian system of Algebra
(al-jebr); set up observatory to study the stars; were aware that the
earth is round
Advanced medicine using Galen’s (c. 180-200) ancient texts
Ibn Sina (Avecinna), 980-1037, compiled medical encyclopedia
Islamic Literature





Koran was considered the greatest literary work
Omar Khayyam, Rubaiyat
The Tales from 1001 Nights
Rumi in the 13th century adopted beliefs of Sufism to his poetry
al-Mus’udi (b. 896) was the first great Islamic historian
Islamic Art and Architecture


Blend of Arab, Turkish, and Persian traditions
Mosques



Palaces




Alhambra in Spain
Woolen rugs


Great Mosque of Samarra is the largest mosque
Mosque of Córdoba
Young girls learned the technique from their mothers
Eventually manufactured by professional artisans
Decorations on all forms of Islamic art were Arabic script,
plant and figurative motifs, geometrical designs
No representation of the Prophet Muhammad was made


Muhammad warned against trying to imitate God
After the Dome of the Rock, there is no figurative representations
in religious art
©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.
Example of Middle Eastern Islamic
Ironwork on Window
©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.
Wailing Wall in Jerusalem
The Byzantine Empire

The Reign of Justinian (527 – 565)
• Well trained and determined to reestablish the Roman Empire
over the entire Mediterranean world
• Belisarius defeated the Vandals and the Ostrogoths
• His new empire fell within three years of his death

The Codification of Roman Law
• Justinian’s most lasting contribution
• Was the basis of imperial law in the east until 1453
• Was the basis of the European legal system

Life in Constantinople: The Emperor’s Building
Program
• Rebuilt Constantinople after revolt of 532
• City important as chief port of exchange of goods from East to
West
• Public works, churches
• Royal palace, Hagia Sophia, Hippodrome
From Eastern Roman to
Byzantine Empire
 Problems
after Justinian’s death
 Developed a new system of defense
 New administrative unit, the theme
 Combined civilian and military offices
 Most serious challenge to the east was Islam
 Problems in the Balkans and the Bulgars
 Beginning of eighth century saw it as just an
eastern Mediterranean state
 Now had unique civilization of its own: Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire in the
Eighth Century






Greek was the language of the empire
Christianity was the religion of the empire
Widespread use of icons led to the iconoclastic controversy
 Leo III outlawed the use of icons
 The Roman Popes opposed the edits
Will move both sides toward the separation between
Roman Catholicism and Greek Orthodoxy
Emperor was absolute and thought to be chosen by God
West owed much to the Byzantine Empire
The Zenith of Byzantine
Civilization



In the seventh and eighth centuries lost much of its
territory
By 750 only Asia Minor, lands in the Balkans and the
southern coast of Italy remained
Revival under Michael III (842-867)
 Reforms and noticeable intellectual renewal
 Problems
 Religious controversy over revised Nicene Creed
The Macedonian Dynasty (867 –
1056)
 Remarkable
number of achievements
 Cultural influence
 Period of capable rulers and strong civil service
New Challenges to the Byzantine
Empire


After the Macedonian dynasty, empire has series of
incompetent rulers
Problem of growing division between the Roman Catholic
church and the Greek Orthodox church





Eastern Orthodox church would not accept the Pope’s claim as the
sole head of the church
Pope Leo IX and Patriarch Michael Cerularius excommunicated
each other
Renewed external threats
A new dynasty, the Comneni, will revive the empire
Impact of the Crusades


Problems with the crusaders
Will no longer be a Mediterranean power
Discussion Questions




Describe Arabic culture and society prior to the rise of
Islam. To what elements in Arabic society did Islam most
appeal?
How would you explain Islamic expansion in the centuries
after Muhammad’s death?
What were the distinctive features of Byzantine
civilization?
What new challenges did the Byzantium empire face
during the 10th and 11th centuries?